Filipinos lag Asia in tax system trust

As allegations of waste and corruption in flood control projects grip the country, Filipino taxpayers increasingly believe they are shortchanged by the tax system and remain skeptical of tax authorities, bucking a regional pattern in Asia where citizens generally feel taxes are spent for the public good.

- BY BEN ARNOLD DE VERA

According to the “Public trust in tax 2025: Asia and beyond” report published last December by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ), and Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Philippines emerged as a notable outlier in Asia on key measures of trust in taxation and public spending.

The study found that in 12 of 19 Asian countries, more respondents agreed than disagreed with the statement “I feel that the public services and infrastructure I receive are a fair return for the taxes I pay.” East and Southeast Asia were especially positive, though the Philippines and Japan “showed a net disagreement,” the report said.